Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat this. Service calls in Milwaukee run $175-$300 just to get a licensed plumber to your door. That's BEFORE we touch a wrench. Water heater replacement? You're looking at $1,800-$4,000 depending on whether you want a standard tank or one of those fancy tankless units (which I've installed about 400 of, and yeah, they're worth it if you've got the upfront cash). Hydro-jetting your main line because tree roots decided to throw a party in your sewer? That's $400-$900. Sump pump replacement runs $800-$1,500, and trust me - in Milwaukee with our clay soil and spring thaws, you DON'T want to cheap out on this. Here's the cold hard truth: the guy charging $89 for a service call is either cutting corners, unlicensed, or gonna hit you with a $3,000 "surprise" once he's in your basement. I've seen it a thousand times. You get what you pay for, and in plumbing, cheap means water damage that'll cost you ten times more down the road.

Twenty-five winters in this business taught me one thing - Milwaukee weather is absolutely BRUTAL on plumbing. We're not talking about some mild climate nonsense. January hits and we're at -10°F, then February decides to mess with you and jumps to 40°F, then back down again. This freeze-thaw cycle? It's a pipe killer. I've seen copper pipes split like hot dogs on a grill. PEX holds up better (and that's what I recommend now), but even that needs proper insulation. Your exterior hose bibs MUST be winterized by October. Not November. October. I pulled a burst pipe out of a Shorewood bungalow last March - the homeowner thought 35°F meant winter was over. Wrong. That one pipe cost him $8,500 in water damage, drywall replacement, and mold remediation. The plumbing fix itself? $340. See the problem? And don't even get me started on those old Milwaukee homes built in the 1920s with galvanized pipes in crawl spaces - those are ticking time bombs once the temps drop. Insulate everything. Heat tape on exposed pipes. Keep your thermostat at 55°F minimum even when you're gone.

Here's what happens during a pipe burst emergency, and I mean a REAL one (not your dripping faucet that you suddenly decide is critical at midnight). First - SHUT OFF YOUR MAIN WATER VALVE. It's usually near where your water line enters the house, often in the basement near the front wall. Turn it clockwise until it stops. Can't find it? You're about to learn an expensive lesson while water pours into your finished basement. Second - call a 24/7 emergency plumber, and yeah, you're paying premium rates ($250-$450 just for the emergency call, double or triple time for labor). Third - start moving stuff and documenting damage for insurance. I've responded to burst pipe calls at 3 AM in January where the homeowner was standing in four inches of water, crying, with their kids' photo albums floating by. That image sticks with you. Most burst pipes in Milwaukee happen in exterior walls (poor insulation), crawl spaces (no heat), or where pipes run through unheated garages. The repair itself might only be $300-$600, but the water damage? I've seen total bills hit $25,000. Had a call last February on Oakland Avenue - pipe burst in the wall behind their kitchen. Ran for six hours before they got home from work. Three rooms destroyed. The plumbing fix was $580. The restoration? $18,000. Prevention is everything, but when it happens, speed matters more than cost.

The labor shortage is real, and it's brought every handyman with a pipe wrench out of the woodwork claiming they're "plumbers." I've spent probably 300 hours in the last five years FIXING what these cowboys destroyed. Here's your detection system - Real plumber has a Wisconsin Master Plumber license (ask for the number, verify it online with the state). Real plumber pulls permits for water heater replacements and main line work (yeah, you need permits, and if someone tells you otherwise, RUN). Real plumber carries liability insurance and worker's comp (ask to see certificates). Real plumber doesn't show up in an unmarked van with out-of-state plates. I had to redo an entire bathroom last year in Wauwatosa because some guy the homeowner found on Facebook installed the P-trap BACKWARDS (didn't think that was possible? It shouldn't be, but here we are). No venting. Used PVC glue that was expired. The smell alone should've sent them running. Cost them $4,200 to fix what they paid him $800 to "install." Look, I get it - prices are high and you want a deal. But plumbing isn't like painting. One mistake and you've got water in your walls, mold growing, or sewage backing up into your shower. Cheap is expensive in this trade. Always. The Milwaukee area's got maybe 40-50 plumbers I'd actually trust, and we're all booked 2-3 weeks out most of the year. That should tell you something.

Milwaukee's built on clay. Heavy, water-holding, foundation-cracking clay. Your sump pump isn't optional - it's life support for your basement. I replace probably six sump pumps a week during spring (April-May when the snow melts and the rain hits). Here's what nobody tells you: that $200 pump from the big box store? Gonna last maybe 3-5 years if you're lucky. A quality pump with a cast iron core and a proper basin setup runs $800-$1,500 installed, but it'll go 10-15 years. And you NEED a battery backup system ($400-$700 additional). Why? Because the worst storms that flood your basement also knock out your power. I've seen finished basements with $30,000 worth of furniture and electronics get destroyed because someone skipped the $500 backup pump. The main sump pump failed during a power outage, and by the time they got home, there was 18 inches of water. Insurance covered some of it (after a fight), but the deductible and rate increase? Brutal. Also - test your sump pump every three months. Pour a bucket of water in the basin and make sure it kicks on. Check your discharge line - if it's frozen or clogged, that pump's working for nothing and you'll flood anyway. Milwaukee homes built before 1990 often have undersized sump basins or pumps that aren't up to current water table standards. Get it inspected.

I install both, so I've got no dog in this fight except experience. Traditional tank water heaters (40-50 gallon) run $1,800-$2,800 installed in Milwaukee. They last 8-12 years if you flush them annually (which nobody does, but you should). Tankless units cost $3,000-$4,500 installed because you need proper venting, usually a gas line upgrade, and often electrical work for the control board. BUT - and this is important - they last 15-20 years and save you about $200-$300 yearly on gas bills. Do the math over 15 years and tankless wins financially. They also never run out of hot water (great for families), and they take up way less space. The downside? Repairs are more technical and expensive. A control board replacement on a tankless runs $400-$600. A thermostat on a tank heater? $150-$200. Milwaukee's hard water is MURDER on both systems - you need a water softener ($1,500-$2,500 installed) or you'll be replacing heating elements and flushing scale constantly. I've pulled heating elements out of tanks that looked like they were growing coral. Three years old because the water hardness was never addressed. Here's my honest take: if you're staying in your house 10+ years and can afford the upfront cost, go tankless with a softener. If you're selling in 5 years or on a tight budget, quality tank heater and maintain it. Either way, don't let it go until it fails - I've seen 50-gallon tanks rupture and flood entire basements. Replace at year 10-12, not year 15 when you're gambling.

Milwaukee's got beautiful old trees. Huge maples, oaks, elms lining every street. Their roots are absolutely DESTROYING the sewer systems in homes built before 1985. Those old clay sewer pipes? Tree roots smell the water and nutrients, find the joints, and infiltrate like they're staging a home invasion. I've hydro-jetted roots out of main lines that were so thick I thought I hit a clog of concrete. Hydro-jetting (high-pressure water that cuts roots and clears blockages) runs $400-$900 depending on access and severity. Camera inspection to see what's actually happening in your line costs $200-$350 but it's worth every penny because it tells you if you need a $800 jetting or a $8,000 main line replacement. If your drains are slow throughout the house, if you hear gurgling when you flush, if sewage backs up into your lowest drain - you've got a main line issue. Don't wait. I've responded to backups where sewage came up through basement floor drains and filled the space with three inches of waste water. The cleanup alone was $6,000 (specialized remediation required). The main line repair? $1,200. Waiting cost them five times more. Milwaukee Water Works doesn't maintain the line from your house to the street - that's YOUR responsibility and your expense. Trees in your parkway or neighbor's yard don't care about property lines. Get your main line camera-inspected every 5 years if you've got a pre-1985 home. Prevention or excavation - your choice, but one's a whole lot cheaper.